Glass-polishing machine



May 13,1930. w. E. PORTER 1,758,534

I GLASS POLISHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Will am EiParZez; BY

' wfw ATTORNEYS Patented May 13, 1930 WILLIAM E. PORTER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA GLASS-POLISHING MACHINE Application filed January. 10, 1925. Serial No. 1,559.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for polishing glass and particu' larly glass adapted for use in the manufacture of mirrors. Mymachine is especially adapted for polishing scratches and slight defects out of glasssheets, which some times occur in glass after it has been polished for mirror purposes. s v V I One of the objects of my invention is to provide a polishing machine for the above purposes, in which the polishing wheel and the glass to be polished may be brought into contact and the polishing done without the danger of burning the glass, and which may be operated by more or less unskilled labor.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention I have illustrated one embodiment thereof in the accompany drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine embodying my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the operating means for the polishing wheel.

In the embodiment of the invention illus-' trated I provide a suitable supportingframe comprising a horizontal frameworkhaving two side rails 1 horizontally disposed and supported at their front ends on legs 2 and at their rear ends on posts 3, which posts form the vertical support for the polishing wheel. The horizontal frame carries the supporting bed or table 4 for the glass, which table is movable in two directions at right angles to one another and is adjustable for the purpose of leveling. To this end I support on the side rails 1 a pair of tracks 5, one of which is supported on one of the rails 1 by screws 6 at each end passing through nuts 7 on the upper portion of the rail 1. The opposite track is similarly supported on the 40 opposite rail 1 of the horizontal support so that the framework of which the tracks 5 comprise a part, may be adjusted at any one of its four corners. These tracks 5 in-turn have mounted thereon a pair of tracks 8 having wheels 9 traveling on the tracks 5 so that the tracks 8 may be moved on the wheels work and the tracks 8 support the glass plate table 4; which is provided with rollers or wheels 10 operating on the tracks 8 whereby the table may be shifted on the tracks 8 transversely. This arrangement provides for a universal shifting of the table 4: in most any direction for the purpose of positioning the glass plate supported thereby at any desired point beneath the polishing wheel. The table, as illustrated, is provided with a suitable padding 11, on which the glassplate is adapted to rest, and on two sides with p0- sitioning' rails 12 for positioning the glass on the table. j s

The polishing wheel 13 is supported above the table 4 and is mounted to rotate both on y a horizontal axis and about a vertical axis. To this end I provide a supporting fork 1Q supporting at the lower ends of its two legs a horizontal shaft15 rotatably mounted in the legs of the fork 14 and having secured I thereon, the polishing wheel 13. The head 16 of the fork is practically hollow for a purpose more fully hereinafter described, and is provided with a hand wheel 17, the 'advantage of which will be more fully hereinafter disclosed. The shank 18 of the fork comprises a hollow spindle vertically ro-. tatably mounted in a sleeve 19 in turn mounted in a head 20. This head is supported from horizontally disposed support ing beams 21 projecting from the legs 3 over the table 4. Suitable thrust bearings 22 are provided between the sleeve and the head 16 of the fork and between the upper end of the sleeve and a securing nut 23 fastenedto the hollow spindle 18 of the fork 14L.

The spindle 18 is rotatably mounted in the sleeve 19 and in order to adjust the polishing wheel vertically, the sleeve 19 is vertically adjustable in the head 20. For making this axispassingthrough the vertical center of the f and exerts a tension pull upon the cable to 1 cause the shaft 26 to rotate in one direction.

A second pulley 30 is also mounted on the shaft 26 and a cable 31, havingone end secured to the pulley, iswr'apped around this pulley. This cable extends downwardly to an operating foot lever 32 and has interposed in its length a coil spring 33 By de-' pressing the foot lever 32 the pulley 30 will be rotated in a direction opposite to the rotative tendency of the spring 29 and in a direction to cause the pinion 25 to move the rack 24 and sleeve 19 downwardly. Due, however, to; the opposing tension of the springs 33 and 29 the polishing wheel 13 will be more or less floatingly supported inany position to which it may be moved, so that the pressure of the wheel upon the glass to be polished will be comparatively light.

F or rotating theshaft 15 I provide a vertical driving shaft 34 journaled in the hollow shank 18 of the fork 14. This shaft 34is provided at its upper end with a suitable pulley 35 driven by a belt 36 passing over a pulley 37 mounted on a suitable driving shaft on the shaft 15 to rotate the same.

38. The lower end of the shaft 34 has mounted thereon a bevel gear 39 positioned in the hollow head 16 of the fork 14 and meshing with a bevel pinion 40 mounted upon a horizontal shaft 41 journaled in the head 16 of the fork 14. The outer end of this shaft 41 is providecbwith a sprocket wheel 42 over which passes a sprocket drive chain 43 adapted to also pass over a sprocket 44 mounted This driving connection for-the polishing wheel 13 drives and rotates the wheel on its axis which, it will be noted is horizontal and at the same time permits the wheel to rotate on a vertical wheel. v

For rotating the wheel on the vertical axis I provide a driving mechanism which bodily rotates the entire fork 14 on a. vertical axis. To this end the shank 18 of the fork is rotatably mountedin the sleeve 19 and the fork is rotated by means of a driving connection between the head of the fork and the shaft 34. This connection comprises a wide gear 45 fixed to the head 16 and adapted to mesh with apinion 46 fixed to the lower end of a shaft 47 j ournaled in the head 20 and having at its upper end rotatably mounted thereon a gear 48 meshing with a pinion 49 fixed to and driven from the shaft 34. This gear 48 is adapted to be connected with the shaft 47 by a suitable clutch 50 normally held in clutching position by a coil spring 51 so that the gear 48 is normally connected with the shaft 47. The gear 48, like the gear 45, is comparatively wide to allow for the vertical movement of the fork and at the same time maintain driving connection between these gears 45 and 48 and their pinions 46 and 49. The clutch 50 is thrown out of engagement by a suitable operatingfork 52 having an operating lever 53 connected by a cable 54 with a foot lever 55 so that by depressing the foot lever 55 the rotation ofthe polishing wheel on its vertical axis is stopped to permit the re-rouging of the wheel. A suitable locking dog 56 operated by a handle 57 and pivoted at the outer end of the supporting members 21 is provided for holding thewheel in any position to which it maybe rotated on its vertical axis with the clutch 5O thrown out.

The operation of the machine is obvious. The glass is supported onthe table 4 and by the manipulation of the foot lever 32 the polishing wheel 13 is lowered to the proper engagement with the glass surface after which the wheel may be started to rotate on its horizontal axis, and by throwing the clutch 50 into engagement also started to rotate on its vertical axis. The operator, by manipulating the table 4, due to its universal mounting, may move the table to any position and in any direction to polish out the scratches or other imperfections and, due to'the fact that the wheel is rotated on a vertical axis at the same time that it is rotating on-its hori-.

zontal axis, there is no danger of causing a burn in the glass at the point where the wheel is in contact with the glass.

1 claim as my invention:

1. In a glass polishing machine, the combination with a head, of a sleeve vertically movable in said head, a fork having a shank rotatably mounted in said sleeve and supported thereby, a polishingwheel mounted on a horizontal axis in said fork, a driving shaft extending through the shank of said fork and having a driving gearconnection with said wheel, a second driving shaft parallel with the first driving shaft having a driven gear connection with said first driving shaft and a driving gear connection with said fork, said gear connection permitting a relative longitudinal movement between the shafts.

2. In a glass polishing machine, the combination with a head, of a non-rotatable sleeve vertically movable in said head, a rack formed on said sleeve, a pinion mounted in said head and engaging said rack, a drum mounted on the pinion shaft, a windingcable operating on said drum for rotating said shaft, a fork having a shaft rotatably mounted in said sleeve and supported thereby, a polishing wheel mounted on a horizontal axis in said fork, a driving shaft extending through the shaft of said fork and having driving gear connection with said Wheel, a driving shaft parallel with the first driving shaft having a driving gear connection with said first driving shaft and a driving gear connection with said fork; said gear connection permitting a relatively longitudinal movement between said shaft.

In witness whereof, I, WILLIAM E. PORTER, have hereunto set my hand at Los'Angeles, Cal, this 2nd day of January, A. D. one thousand nine hunderd and twenty-five.

' WILLIAM E. PORTER. 

